Dilano Taylor Hopes to Help Jamaican Fighters with Potential $1 Million PFL Winnings

Dilano Taylor made the most of his short-notice opportunity in the Professional Fighters League playoffs.

With two days to go until last Saturday's PFL 8 card in Cardiff, Wales, the organization announced that Taylor would replace Magomed Umalatov in the semifinals of the welterweight tournament. Despite being called up at the last minute and facing the favored Rory MacDonald, the Jamaican surprised “The Red King” with a first-round knockout.

Taylor told Sherdog.com that he was hoping to get a chance to fill in as a substitute while also helping prepare teammate Jason Jackson for his triumph over Douglas Lima at Bellator 283 on July 27.

“I felt like I was destined to be in this competition,” Taylor said. “I always talk about opportunities and how they present themselves. I'm always training and waiting for a chance, and I was helping my partner Jason and I would be his corner as well. So when they called me, I was ready. I just hadn't studied Rory, but I was confident that I would win whoever the opponent was.”

PFL champions receive a $1 million payout for winning the tournament, and the Jamaican fighter already has an idea of what he’d like to do with the prize if he defeats Sadibou Sy in November.

“I want to buy land or a house for myself and my family,” he said. “If possible, I would like to help fighters from Jamaica, who need help to grow in MMA.”

A brown belt in jiu-jitsu, Taylor teaches children’s classes at the American Top Team in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. a branch run by Junior Fernandes. His fight training takes place at the Sanford MMA gym, where he works with partners like brothers Gilbert Burns and Herbert Burns.

“Teaching helps me adjust skills. In teaching, you see things that sometimes in training you can't. And training on a team like Sanford, I have intensity, and my experience as a teacher also shows me when I have to slow down,” Taylor said. “I live in fight situations with guys like Gilbert, Herbert, Jason Jackson, Impa Kasanganay, Landon Quinones, Ian Garry, Michael Johnson… So I feel like I'm ready to be champion of an event like the PFL.”